- #1
pete
- 72
- 5
I was torn between Materials, Mechanical and Electrical Engineering but could not think which would be the best home for this question so I’ve put it here for now.
I tore open an old exorcise bike that used a big fly wheel with magnets on a lever and a strip of copper around the rim. I could not find how thick the strip was but it was a big wheel so I was a bit surprised to see the copper, surely aluminium or bronze would do the trick at a fraction of the cost.
After thinking about it for a while I remembered Lenz’s effect is based on the generation of electrical currents so I’m guessing that the more conductive the metal the more magnetic properties it should show.
If I give Copper 100% conductivity, aluminium 61% and brass 28%. Would that then mean Copper will show three times more magnetic resistance in the same application as Brass?
As a side note, increasing the thickness of the metal should also increase the effect but I’m unsure how to find the minimum thickness, if anyone knows how to estimate the thickness of the metal in relation to the power of the magnet that would also be very helpful.
I’ve been trying to research this kind of stuff about eddy currents but am not doing very well at the moment so being pointed in the direction of a good source would also be very helpful.
I tore open an old exorcise bike that used a big fly wheel with magnets on a lever and a strip of copper around the rim. I could not find how thick the strip was but it was a big wheel so I was a bit surprised to see the copper, surely aluminium or bronze would do the trick at a fraction of the cost.
After thinking about it for a while I remembered Lenz’s effect is based on the generation of electrical currents so I’m guessing that the more conductive the metal the more magnetic properties it should show.
If I give Copper 100% conductivity, aluminium 61% and brass 28%. Would that then mean Copper will show three times more magnetic resistance in the same application as Brass?
As a side note, increasing the thickness of the metal should also increase the effect but I’m unsure how to find the minimum thickness, if anyone knows how to estimate the thickness of the metal in relation to the power of the magnet that would also be very helpful.
I’ve been trying to research this kind of stuff about eddy currents but am not doing very well at the moment so being pointed in the direction of a good source would also be very helpful.